Wrench



(No Model.)

DLH. GARPENTER.

WRENGH.

' terreno DANIEL H. OARPENTER, OF ORLANDO, FLORIDA.

WRENCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 515,070, dated February 20, 1894.

Application filed December 1, 1893. Serial No. 492,487. (No model.)

T0 aZZ whom it may conzcern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL H. OARPENTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Orlando, in the county of Orange and State of Florida, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in VVrenches, of Which the followingisafull,clear,and exact description.

This invention relates to the class `of Wrenches represented in and by my Letters- Patent No. 446,324, dated February 10, 1891, and others, and While the invention is capable of exemplification in a pipe Wrench, still its primary 'object is to supply a convenient and easily operated Wrench for use on 'nuts and other angular objects.

In this invention, the outer jaw is made a fixed part of or integral With 'the handle or handle-bar, and the inner jaw is made slidable upon the handle-bar, and is adapted to be secured in adjusted position by a ratchet and double-acting spring; the said inner jaW being mathematicallyadj ustable with relation to the outer jaw so as to be capable of instantaneous adjustment to all sizes of standard -nuts in their best position for manipulation. The javvs have gras'ping or grippin g faces th at fall in planes diverging from a center or centers in the rear of the Wrench so as to eng-age the sides or flats of the angular object obliquely or diagonally as opposed to diametrically, or in parallelism; and, moreover, the angles of inclination of these faces of the jaws are such as to leave spaces between the said faces and the sides or flats of the angular object sufficient to afiord clearance for the Wrench in moving or ratcheting it around such object in order to get a fresh hold on such object Without removing the Wrench from such object; and in furtherance of this operation of ratcheting the Wrench about the object, I construct the slidable jaw With a certain amount of play upon the handle-bar Within the limitations of the double-acting spring and the socket in the jaW, Whereby it may have a rocking motion upon such bar Without losing its grip upon the object. The outer end of the fixed jaw is made with the transverse groove or notch, as in my former inventions, in order to take in the corner or angle of the nut, &c., and protect it from being worn or rounded off by the Wrench, and to throw the grip upon adjacent sides or flats of such corner or angle. The handle and jaws are arranged at obtuse angles to the handle-bar, so as to enable the 'use of the Wrench With a' greater sweep in corners or other narrow limits. The handle-bar is provided With a reduced end to constitute the t blade of a screW-driver'; and while this feature is a valuable adj unct in the smaller sizes of Wrenches, such as those designed to be carried upon the person orin a cycleris tool bag, it may be omitted, and preferably Will be omitted in the larger and more unwieldly Wrenches.

Having thus stated the principle of my invention, I Will proceed now to set forth the best mode in Which I have contemplated applying that principle and then Will particularly point out and distinctly claim the part, combination or improvement Which I claim as my invention.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention, inthe several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a side elevation and Fig. 2 a perspective view of my wrench for the use of cyclers and to be carried on the person. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the same wrench head, on a larger scale, applied to a hexagonal nut. Fig. 4 is a similar view of a wrench head showing a slight modification in the inner j aw and the double-acting spring, and applied to a square nut. Fig. 5 is a Sectional elevation of a pipe wrench embodying the principle of this invention.

The outer and fixed jaW a is made With the hook-end b and transverse groove or notch c, and, as shown more in detail in Figs. 3 and a, this hook-end is rounded. The groove c takes the corner or angle of the nut or other object within itself so that there shall be no strain, wear or pressure put upon such corner or angle in the operation of the nut or other object,-it beinga Well-known and serious fault in most wrenches that unless very carefully used they will wear or round off the oorners or angles of the nuts and thereby render them less serviceable. The hook-end of the outer jaw is the gripping member, While the face d is a rest or support and this face instead of being .in a plane parallel with the plane of the sides or flats of the nuts, falls in a plane of a different angle and so leaves the clear- IOO ance space e between the nut and jaw. The jaw a is integral with the handle-bar a' and handlef,I and the handle is rediiced and pointed at its lower end to form the blade of a screW-driver g. The jaw, handle-bar and handle may be drop-forged or otherwise produced of steel or other metal.

The face of the handle-bar a' is provided With the ratchet teeth h, and I have found that twenty seven and fifty hundredths (27T5U0 teeth to the inch will adapt the wrench to the Various sizes of standard nuts, both square and hexagonal.

The inner or slidable jaw is composed of a loop 'L' or socketed block adapted to encompass and to be slid longitudinally of and upon the handle-bar. One end of this loop is provided with a facej which lies in a plane diverging from the plane of the outer jaw; and lthe angles of inclination of these jaws may vary from one another in about the proportions shown in the drawings, but in any event the clearance spaceeintheouterjaw andalike space e' in the inner jaw always will be provided for in the most approved constructions. The inner jaw is provided with a separable ratchet block k the teeth of which engage with the ratchet h. This ratchet block is toothed for a portion only of its length, in the preferred construction. The ratchet block may be se- .cured in the loop by a transverse pin or screws Z and lip m, and the face of the said loop is made solid to afiord a backing and resistance for the ratchet block. Between the rear wall of the loop andthe handle-bar, is interposed a double-acting spring n, which is shown in Figs. 1 and3 as a bow of flat spring metal held in place by its ends 'n' being bent 'over the' ends of the rear wall t'. .The tendency of this spring is to draw the ratchet block into engagement with the ratchet teeth of the handle-bar and so support the inner jaw at whatever position it may be placed; at the same time, since the spring is in the form of a bow, it forms a sort of pivot or fulcrum upon Which the inner jaw may rock or roll. To disengage the ratchet block from the ratchet h sufticient pressure upon the backwall t' of the loop in the direction of the jaws will be exerted to overcome the spring, and then the inner jaw may be slid longitudinally of and upon the handle-bar at pleasure. Obviously, the inner jaw may be' moved toward the outer jaw by upward pressure from below upon any part of the inner jaw; and hence, if the jaw be moved bodily so as to separate the jaws farther than is necessary to fit the nut, by releasing the ratchets, then the ratchets may be re-engaged and such upward pressure may be applied to the front of the inner jaw to move it tooth by tooth until an accurate adj ustment of the jaws with relation to the nut is attained. Thus, it will be seen, the slidable jaw may be very readily adjusted to an object.

The inner slidable jaw just described, may be drop-forged; but as shown in' Fig. 4, the

loop may be a section of rectangular tubing, or be made as a rectangular tube, and the ratchet block may be made integral with the inner jaw face d'. In this figurelhave shown also a reversely bowed spring Vriveted to the rear wall of the loop and having its ends projecting outwardly from the loop a considerable distance at both ends; and a third modification of the spring is Vshown in Fig. 5 where such spring is made up of two or moreleaves or plates.I

In Fig. 5 I have shown my invention applied in a pipe wrench, and this differs from the Wrenches shown in the other figures in having its outer jaw curved and provided with two transverse notches c, c'.

,The ratchet block maybe made to form the front of the loop, and its face may be toothed and described on an are of a circle eccentric with relation t'o the outer jaw; and in order to give a greater degree of rocking motion toV the jaw, its ratchet block is curved, but so as always to permit three or more teeth to be in engagement with the ratchet h.

In order to facilitate the moving of the slidable jaw, its rear wall may be milled or knurled as indicated.

Various mechanical changes may be made in my wrench without departing from the principle of my invention, and hence, I do not wish to be understood as restricting my invention to details other than as hereinafter claimed.

The operation suggests itself from the foregoing, but it needs to be said that the jaws grasp the object not diametrically or in parallel planes, but, as it were, diagonally or obliquely, the line of draft on a hexagonal nut being essentially that indicated by the line w in Fig. 3. The strain is thrown upon the handle-bar therefore, and at a point where it is most able to sustain it. The wrench may be freely rotated about the nut to obtain a new grasp upon it without the necessity of removing the wrench from such nut. In so moving the wrench, its jaws must clear the corners or angles of the nut in order to get the fresh hold, and to this end the clearance spaces and the yielding or rocking capacity of the inner jaw are availed of. In the case of the pipe wrench, the rocking motion of the movable jaw is availed of to obtain a bite upon a pipe or other round object as.`

well as to facilitate ratcheting around the object.

The off-setting of vthe handle enables the` user to operate upon objects in very narrow limits. f

In the case of the wrench shown in the original drawings Figs. 1 and 2, full and natural size, I am able, by my invention, to produce a wrench of about three ounces Weight, and readily carried in the vest or coat pocket. Such a wrench I specially design for the use of travelers on bicycles and in other vehicles.

j While I prefer making the outer jaw and IOO IIO

handle integral, the inner jaw and handle may be make integral instead.

What I claim is- 1. A wreneh having jaws, diverging from one 'another the outer j aw being integral with the handle-bar and handle, and terminating in a hook-end and an adjaeent transverse groove and the inner jaw being slidable upon the handle-bar, combined with a ratehet connection between the outer and innerV jaws, and a spring interposed between the baeks of the outer and inner jaws and adapted to permit roeking motion of the inner jaW upon the handle-bar, substantially as described.

2. A wrenoh having diverging jaws of greater inclination than the object to be acted upon, the outer jaW having a hook-end and an adjacent transverse groove, and the inner and slidable jaw having a ratchet to engage a eomplemental ratehet upon the handle-bar of the outer jaw, a springinterposed between the backs of the inner and outer jaws, and a handle, substantially as described. A

3. A Wrench having an outerjaw, a handlebar and a handle made integral, the handle being set at an obtuse angle to the handlebar, and the jaW likewise standing off from such handle-bar in a plane which is at an obtuse angle thereto, and terminating in a hookend and an adjaoeut transverse noteh and a slidable inner diverging j aW adj ustable upon the handle-bar, substantially as described.

4. A wrench having an outer jaW, a handlebar and a handle, the said j aW terminating in a hook-end and an adj aeent transverse groove or noteh, and standing off from such handlebar in a plane which is at an obtuse angle to the handle-bar, and a movable inner jaw diverging from the outer jaw, substantially as described.

5. A Wrench having a fixed and a movable jaw, the former terminating in a hook-end and an adjacent transverse notoh or groove, and the latter having a plane surface, and adapted to yield away from the handle-bar the two j aWs diverging from one another in planes of greater inclination than the object to be aeted upon and adapted to grasp the object obliquely or diagonally in contradistinetion to diametrically or on parallel Sides, and to be rateheted around the object to get a' fresh hold thereon Without removing the wreneh from such object, substantially as deseribed.

In testimony Whereof I have hereunto set my hand this lst day of December, A. D. 1893.

DANIEL H. CARPENTER.

Witnesses: e

HARRY Y. DAVIs, WM. I-I. FINCKEL. 

